"My my, James. I'm so offended at this childish behaviour and here I thought that after three years that you'd at least matured past the point of using Slytherin as the butt of your jokes. But after saying that...screw you."
"As enticing as the offer is Marlene, I do have Lily snoozing in the next room and seeing as the grape flavoured condoms turned out to be duds and unless you want to be stirring with my perfect sperm inside of you, I think I'll pass up the offer."
" And Lily didn't go out with you for how many years again? Last time I checked it was...six?"
"Not a chance in hell, Potter. Oh, blimey. I've got patrol duty in twenty minutes...merlin. This is why you're such a nuisance, James. Eating up all my precious time when I could be helping save Sirius from Remus' lectures on Shakespeare. I swear, he and Lily come from the same coin."
"I spend every waking moment with the woman and as much as I adore her, I do have an expiration limit on how many times I can mentally transfer new excitement into watching Mansfield Park every Friday. Though, don't tell her that. I've at least got to keep up my record of fourteen sitting's in a row, which is pretty amazing in itself. Like me. But Marls, just be careful out there. Dolohov is a bastard, and has an extraordinary likeness to a rat's arse, especially in the shape of the nostrils. Just be...alright?"
"Of course I'll be alright. No bastard ever will get the pleasure of standing over my battered corpse. So don't worry, James. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
That was the last time her smile--which had always had the temperance of a flame and the sparkle of an ember--burned James vision.
The next day was nothing new or strange for the Potters. Blue skies gave way for white clouds to rest their sleepy heads while a warm breeze tangled itself sweetly around the residents of Godric's Hollow and bade them well. This lovely sense of ignorant bliss would soon be a savoured memory, and a bitter one at that.
"So, who do you think did it? The Warlock or the Witch? Or was it the Gnome? No one ever suspects the Gnome. Must be the small stature or the plausible alcoholic history. They always use it as something to fall back on." Lily's words were trimmed with curiosity, each strand of hair falling to a perfect caress of curls, each one dyed a incandescent red as she snuggled closer to James, with her green eyes coaxing a teasing reply. "Nah, it was definitely the Witch, cos' everybody's already so involved with the Gnome and the Warlock, that they're completely forgetting about the Witch, since they've already crossed her out as too cliche. And it's always the cliched ones that turn out to be the ones with the kinky blood fetishes and whatnot." His reply was churned out with automatic charm which was still as fresh as it had been in his school days, fingers twirling with the tips of Lily's hair, as James let a smile stride pleasantly between his lips.
"You're so full of shit, James." Was the loving response initiated from his wife (which would have to be remedied with a justly attack of tickling) and nostalgia only tucked herself familiarly next to James' heart.
"But rather stunning shit at that."
James hung kisses on the ends of Lily's lips, her skin another home to lose himself in while giggles slipped free into the air and melted slowly against their bliss. He let his fingers caress her cheeks, ginger freckles sinking into the pale ocean of her skin, while sunlight hugged her lashes and when she laughed--James was teasing her neck--her laughter was the life of summer.
James never knew how it easy was to have your whole world start to fall apart before your very own eyes.
He never ever saw it coming.
"Bet you anything it's either Marls or Sirius--or both. And seeing as I'm tied up and in your terms "Carrying A plus genetic material" inside of me, I nominate you to go and answer the door. Oh, and I love you." Lily smiled brightly, which only ignited a well rehearsed sigh from James who got up, and almost had reached the door, before nonchalantly (and flawlessly) slipping out, "I love you too. You're still a better-looking version of Satan, though. Just saying." Before directing his attention towards the door and the figure who appeared in front of him when he opened it--who neither was Sirius or Marlene.
Clad in a brown coat which was two sizes too big, hair tipped mousy brown, the scars adorning his cheek an unpleasant reminder of a past never to be forgotten, stood one of the people that James could proudly call brother--as if he and Remus had the same blood burning in their veins--and James would have no hesitation about laying down his life for in a heartbeat.
(But as much as he adored Moony, why the hell was he here so early in the morning? The guy wasn't famous for his punctuality with Saturday mornings--save their school days.)
So James bluntly said, "Rem...has someone died? Because they must have died. Come one...someone's got to have died in order to get you out from your kennel this early in the morning. No...wait. You've come here to tell me and Snaps that you're ditching the book look in order to join a band of transvestite nuns. Always thought the hair could have been an possible give a way," He added thoughtfully, with his familiar teasing seeping through the breath of the conversation.
Remus did not look impressed.
Instead, his young face looked torn; and it chilled James down to very bone. Remus Lupin's face was like patchwork; a scar for each memory and a hidden crease on his forehead for every worry that he begged to put to rest. And on this particular occasion, he looked weary and tired, and he tried to smile but it was to no avail. "Prongs, it's a coincidence that you mention all of that because--well--last night, we tried...we all did...but we got there way too late--near or a little over midnight and she was just lying there. Gone. Just...just gone." A mixture of confusion and bewilderment settled on James' handsome face as he looked at his best friend, and let a single word fall from his lips.
Lily (who had patiently been flicking through Witch Weeky) decided that curiosity was being a pain in the arse, and decided to join her husband by the door. So as she did, her gaze fell on Remus and the alarming paleness of his face, and she switched her gaze to James, who seemed devoid of all emotion.
"Marlene, James. They--he--got her. Last night. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Lily and James." Remus smiled briefly at Lily but it hurt to smile and he was way too closely acquainted with hurt to get any closer to it at the present moment, so Remus closed his eyes, air forcing any kind of feeling into him. "I'd best be going. The Order wants me to go and tell Dumbledore the news. I'm sorry, mate. We all loved her very much." And as awkward as the situation was--and as awkward as Remus Lupin might have been--he hugged James soundly, allowing Lily a nod--and departed.
"Marlene? Is she alright? James...what's there to be sor-" It hit Lily in that instant and James felt her hand slide between his own, and he had never felt her grip tighter. Colour's seemed to tumble and fade into faded grays and James felt the burning courage inside of him that had burned for so long--for so very long without any fear of wind to blow it out--die. A numbness devoured him slowly, crunching and smashing away any trace of happiness that had ever existed inside of the caricature of James Potter.
If this was life and death was a promised guarantee--he had thought he could handle it, could handle anything--a promised pain...then he didn't want this. He wanted to sorely rip his own heart out of his chest and watch it bleed upon the floor because a world without Marlene McKinnon was a world that didn't deserve existence.
Tears resounded in the form of a gentle lullaby of sniffs from Lily--his strong Lily who never cried for anyone or anything, who was strong and kind and beautiful--her fingers sinking deeper pressure against his own to which he squeezed back reassuringly, but he let go of her hand, and hugged her with all the strength left that he could muster.
A world where Lily Evans could break so easily and cry--made James sick.
No golden smiles or timed teases or punctual snarks or Quidditch jests would ever cross James way again. For there was no Marlene McKinnon to give them and there was no sister for James to cheer and lace jokes around, and there was no friend to confide in and to comfort.
Sobs drugged themselves sober against his shoulders, patchwork collar a home to lonesome tears that fell from the green eyes that he'd always adored, her arms entwined tightly around his back. "Sh-she's gone. Marlene's g-g-gone now. What do-do we even do now? What us-use is there to anything? Marlene..." James pulled her closer and lacquered gentle kisses on her forehead, his voice the size of a whisper.
"She was the best, Lily. She was the very best."
